File Not Found bug with long audio file names?

Question

Hello -
Crazy problem. I'll probably post way too much information, but I want to make sure I cover everything. Help!
We run Logic Studio/Logic 8 on multiple 10.4.10/11 computers - G5 Power PC, new intel iMac, intel mini, G4 laptops. We are working on an audio post job using very messy OMFs that were prepared in Final Cut. We had problems opening them in Logic, so we opened the OMFs in Soundtrack Pro, exported to AAFs, and opened those in Logic.
The sessions look fine in Logic now (all files relinked), and the session is consolidated - ie, all files are local/in the project folder's Audio Files folder. I see this in the Audio Bin and can confirm in the finder.
Here's the problem. With the sessions closed:
(A) I renamed the project folder by adding an asterix to the front of the folder name, and changed the color label of the folder in the finder in order to mark it as the original folder.
(B) I made a copy of the whole folder (session files & audio files) in order to have something to work from and not mess up the original. When I opened up the session in the new folder, it immediately said audio file not found, do you want to search, locate, or skip. It couldn't find the file in a search, and obviously when you skip, then skip, then skip all, it opens the session with the data (regions are there but grayed) - so all the audio files are orphaned.
So when I try to locate the file, here's what happens. . . The audio file names are really horrendously long (must be some artifact of working in Final Cut). We're talking: "1087-001A SERG AIRPORT WAITING * 1-1channel_00044D02AA9- 363A-4CC5-A86B-0741023DB062.aif" - one bazillion characters.
So the audio file locate dialog box truncates the name of the file that's missing by using the first 20 characters or so, and then a "#" character, and then some random string of 3-6 characters that is not at all related to the file name. So who knows which of the 4-30 SERG AIRPORT files is supposed to go there!
Obviously if this were a 2 minute session file of 10 files or something, we could figure it out and relink everything, but we're talking about a feature-length session with a bazillion files.
(C) Okay, so I tried to open the original session, in the folder that I had renamed by prefacing the original name with an * and changing the color of the folder. But I started to get the file not found errors. OH GEEZ. So I didn't save. I re-renamed the folder by taking out the * and changing the color label back. Then I tried to open the session again, but I still kept getting the file not found problem.
I have to stress that I didn't move any of the audio files, or change ANYTHING in the session.
So I thought - is all of this because I tried to open a new instance of the session, in a new instance of the folder? Is it because I renamed the folders? Normally you can rename folders, even session names, no problems, and Logic corrects the paths to the audio files!
(D) So, crap. I reopened the original AAF file in logic and saved it in a new place. I closed the file, reopened it, closed, reopened, just to make sure everything was working! I checked the location of the files in the audio bin, and everything was great.
(E) So now I copied the folders to an external hard drive to be able to work on another computer. But when I tried to open the sessions on a new computer. . . You guessed it, nada.
So. . . the questions are:
(1) Those original sessions that now will not work - is there anything I can do to recover their functionality? We had work in there that I would prefer not to lose. . .
(2) Is this a known bug having to do with the length of the Audio File names?
(3) How do we get over this? My only idea so far is we could select all in a working logic session and say "Audio Tracks names to regions" or something and will that change the actual file names on teh computer? Then hopefully things would work on mulitple systems. . .
Okay. HELP! Thanks!
Polly

Answer 1

OK I got it.
It is necessary to use prefix "file:///" before file name.
Thanx everyway.